Enrollment soars at ASU downtown

Forty-two percent more students are taking classes at Arizona State University's high-profile downtown Phoenix campus this year, despite state budget cutbacks and the fact that overall university enrollment grew by only 1,000 students.

Slightly more than 7,000 students took at least one class downtown this fall, up from 4,963 in fall 2008. As the campus grows in size and clout, it moves closer to what was envisioned when it was launched four years ago: a major economic generator for the heart of the city.

Enrollment figures were released to The Arizona Republic in response to a public-records request. The Republic's analysis of ASU's downtown enrollment includes only students who take at least one class in downtown Phoenix.

The student count became an issue last year, after a Republic investigation revealed that ASU's official enrollment count routinely included thousands of students who were affiliated with programs based downtown but did not attend any classes there, instead studying at other campuses.

That news disappointed many in the downtown-business community who thought ASU's enrollment figures represented a literal head count of new people downtown.

Business and city leaders continue to closely watch growth at the campus, which opened in fall 2006 with more than $200 million in city bond funding. Campus supporters promised voters that the project would help bring economic vitality and heavier foot traffic to the area.

ASU says its enrollment formula helps it get an accurate count to meet state guidelines and is not meant to mislead. As was the case last year, the university's official fall 2009 count for the downtown Phoenix campus, 11,503, includes thousands of students who are affiliated with the downtown campus but who take their classes at other ASU campuses and do not have a class downtown.

Still, the substantial growth in students taking at least one class downtown this year is good news. Councilman Michael Johnson says he is pleased so far with how the university's new campus has meshed with other recently completed projects, which together have helped make downtown more vibrant.

"I think that the campus development is going great," said Johnson, whose district includes the campus. "It's not just ASU that provides the economic impact, it's all the opportunities that are also available with ASU." Such as the medical-school campus and the renovated Phoenix Convention Center, he said.

New students

Two main factors are behind the increase in students, said Virgil Renzulli, ASU's vice president for public affairs: greater enrollment in downtown programs and reorganization of university classes.

There are 1,344 new students taking classes downtown, he said, and several ASU West campus programs moved, adding an additional 391 students downtown. Also, 230 students studying downtown have program majors that are based on other ASU campuses.

"All of the programs located downtown experienced growth," Renzulli said, "which is not the case for all programs throughout the university."

This fall, ASU's overall enrollment reached a record 68,064, up from 67,082 in 2008.

'Downtown effect'

As the downtown campus matures, it is attracting more students, said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The campus includes the journalism school, a nursing school, the College of Public Programs and the School of Letters and Sciences.

The journalism school's freshman class grew by an "unheard of" 45 percent this year, Callahan said. The journalism school left Tempe and moved into a $71 million downtown Phoenix facility last fall.

Then, the Cronkite School had 1,197 students, which included a freshman class of 182. This fall, the journalism school had 1,226 students and a freshman class of 263.

Callahan called it the "downtown effect": More students are interested in downtown ASU programs because the campus looks more complete than it did 18 months ago.

In March, Phoenix opened its $34 million Civic Space Park. The $1.4 billion light-rail system, a crucial link between the Tempe and Phoenix campuses, began rolling in December. This fall, the second tower of the Taylor Place dorms and a $29 million nursing-school addition opened to students.

"This place is a very different place than it was 18 months ago, and I think the numbers are reflecting that," Callahan said. "The fact that these young people could come in with their parents and see this spectacular facility and see students doing journalism in the building, it's much easier for them to visualize themselves being here."

From morning to dusk, there are signs that the downtown campus is expanding.

In the morning, hundreds of students pour out of light-rail cars at the Van Buren/Central station to go to classes. A lunchtime, there are long lines at nearby sandwich shops like Subway.

And at night, more students are sleeping in Taylor Place, the downtown Phoenix dorm. Last year, about 510 students lived there and only about half of the 1,250-bed project was complete. This year, 783 students are living in Taylor Place and both towers of the dorm are open, said Marshall Terrill, an ASU spokesman.

Not all upside

The growing student population downtown hasn't made everyone happy, however.

She doesn't like the long walks between classes and noted that, although criminal-justice students were supposed to benefit from contact with local law-enforcement agencies located downtown, most of the agencies aren't hiring because of the recession.

Although student numbers have grown, not all downtown merchants are reaping economic benefits. Some businesses have seen an influx of student shoppers, but others say ASU foot traffic often doesn't trickle much beyond campus buildings.

One of the winners is the Phoenix Public Market, which attracts a lot of students and often has journalism-student camera crews filming stories there on weekends.

"Before, we would see a few wander in, and they weren't buying anything," said Cindy Gentry, who oversees the market near Central Avenue and McKinley Street. "Now, we see dozens on Saturdays, and they are shopping."

Gentry, who says market vendors plan to add more grab-and-go food appealing to students, said that it takes time for them to figure out what downtown has to offer and for the word to spread. "The older students tell the younger ones," she said.

That sort of patience is key as the downtown campus grows and evolves. If the initial vision is fulfilled, by 2020, it will be teeming with 15,000 enrolled students whose presence will please businesses, residents and city leaders alike.

Arizona State University students crowd the entrance of University Center in downtown Phoenix. Enrollment figures show that more students are taking classes on the campus than last year, helping to fulfill the university's promise.